Reflection Archives (56 entries)

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Reflection Archives — Special reflections.

Noise

· 3 November 2006 | 115 words

It all adds up to one thing: peace, silence, solitude. The world and its noise are out of sight and far away. Forest and field, sun and wind and sky, earth and water-- all speak the same silent language....

Still a Branch

· 2 November 2006 | 102 words

The readings for today are especially powerful, starting with this portion from Wisdom 3:1-3: The souls of the just are in the hand of God,    and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to...

One Thing You Lack…

· 19 October 2006 | 179 words

Sunday's Gospel reading at Mass was about the rich, young man in Mark 10:17-30. I suspect that a lot of people, especially Americans, get a little uncomfortable with this passage, as well as they should. Many forget that the second...

To-Day

· 23 September 2006 | 236 words

What a gorgeous morning! Reminds me of the refrain from the opening song from Oklahoma! (with one word changed in the last line): Oh, what a beautiful mornin' Oh, what a beautiful day I got a beautiful feelin' Everything's goin'...

The Rollercoaster of Life

· 22 September 2006 | 76 words

The world's a rollercoaster And I am not strapped in Maybe I should hold with care But my hands are busy in the air -- Incubus, "Wish You Were Here" Suffering comes from holding on, not letting go of...

Water of Life

· 31 July 2006 | 337 words

Standing on the beach in North Carolina this evening. Outer banks. Nighttime. Dark. The strong salty air permeates my soul. Everything is shades of dark grays. The waves roar as they break close to shore, immature white caps peak, stretching...

Meeting the Shepherd

· 18 July 2006 | 411 words

In fact, what separates man from divine Reality is but a thin partition: God is infinitely close to man, but man is infinitely far from God. This partition, for man, is a mountain; man stands in front of a...

Because

· 7 June 2006 | 363 words

About a month ago, I realized that I was saying one particular prayer wrong. When I enter a church or chapel, I kneel and pray, and start with, "Lord Jesus Christ, please forgive me because I am a sinner..." and...

A.M.D.G.

· 18 May 2006 | 543 words

The world is charged with the grandeur of God. (Gerard Manley Hopkins) I ran across the initials A.M.D.G. the other morning. I knew they were Latin for something by the context. A quick Internet search found Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, "For...

The Last Supper

· 9 May 2006 | 119 words

Last Supper by Bohdan Piasecki, 1998 I like this painting of the Last Supper. Not because it rewrites the Gospel accounts or hints at the inclusion of women as apostles and as ordained priests. That intrudes upon theological issues...

For all you people who say…

· 29 April 2006 | 412 words

I was cleaning out some old files and ran across this. I do not know the author. I did a few minor edits. For all you people who say "I love you" when you have no clue what love is...

What is Truth?

· 12 April 2006 | 345 words

Julie had a copy of this painting at right in a post yesterday. It is called "Quod Est Veritas?" (What is truth?) by Nikolas Gay, 1890. Notice how the light is shining on Pilate and Jesus is in the...

Christ Bearer

· 10 April 2006 | 62 words

Father said at Mass that the only creature that knew it was not being cheered for during Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was the donkey. The donkey knew its place as Bearer of Christ. We too are...

Palm Sunday

· 9 April 2006 | 182 words

"Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." (John 12:13) Compare Palm Sunday with Easter Sunday. The praise and glory the world gives is fickle and temporary. There is a lot of noise and flash, pomp...

Fourth Servant Song

· 7 April 2006 | 626 words

See also First, Second and Third Servant Songs. See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him-- so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance...

Third Servant Song

· 5 April 2006 | 395 words

The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, That I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; And I have...

Second Servant Song

· 2 April 2006 | 332 words

Hear me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The LORD called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name. He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm....

First Servant Song

· 30 March 2006 | 276 words

I wonder what Jesus thought and felt when He read or heard this passage from Isaiah as a young boy of about 12 years old? I wonder how His thoughts and feelings changed when He was a young man, before...

Go

· 22 March 2006 | 671 words

By grace of God, I am what I am. (1 Corinthians 15:10) Reflection. These words of St. Paul seem to be filled with pride and presumption but they are really the fruit of humility for humility is truth. Humility does not...

Yet He Chose to Create Me

· 23 February 2006 | 241 words

Something to reflect on this Lent: So God must have foreseen all my sins and rebellions against Him, all the trouble I would cause Him, including the hell of Calvary. Yet He chose to create me. (The word foreseen is...

ARRR

· 31 January 2006 | 46 words

Looking through the Bible in my classroom, I found this scribbled on a notecard inside: When faced with anger and/or frustration, say "ARRR!" Acknowledge the emotion. Relate it to others. Relate it to God. Receive graces. Be open. Respond not...

God’s Calling

· 22 January 2006 | 63 words

In light of my previous post and today's scripture readings of the prophet Jonah calling out for the city of Nineveh to repent and Jesus calling to the two sets of brothers to follow him, God is calling all of...

I Love You This Much

· 15 January 2006 | 763 words

There was a billboard at the interstate exit for my church. It was just recently replaced with an ad for a fastfood restaurant. For the last six months or so, everytime I exited, I would pull up to the stop...

My Life, My Card

· 11 January 2006 | 117 words

Seen at la vie en rose..., here's my version of an American Express ad: My name  Mark childhood ambition  architect fondest memory  family holidays and gatherings soundtrack  laughter, silence retreat  reading, prayer wildest dream  write and publish a book proudest...

The Desert Leads to Epiphany

· 8 January 2006 | 342 words

"The Three Magi" by József Koszta Definition: epiphany -- 1. a revelatory manifestation of a divine being. 2. a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something, a comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden...

Before and After

· 9 December 2005 | 84 words

When you think of the first Christmas, do you think of Good Friday? When you see the Cross, do you think of the first Christmas? The life of Jesus is the bridge between the first Christmas and Good Friday,...

Take Time…

· 28 November 2005 | 33 words

Take time today to pause every now and then, take a deep breath of that moment, and know that God loves you. He will whisper "I love you" in a 1000 different ways....

Like the Orbit of a Comet

· 22 October 2005 | 307 words

Penni asks, "Do you remain Christ-centered and where is your balance?" I have no idea where my balance point is. As soon as I think I have found it, something knocks me off it, and I try my best to...

Psalm 23

· 13 October 2005 | 74 words

Good ole Psalm 23. A favorite of many (not mine, not yet). Last night, I heard several people say that they have always associated the psalm with death and the here-after, and then only after having recently meditated and prayed...

Crucified Hero

· 25 September 2005 | 1055 words

Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul. For just as the wind carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to...

In the Palm of His Hand

· 16 September 2005 | 467 words

I had a dream last night that I met Jesus. I had so longed to look into His eyes. And finally, there I was, face to face with Him. I looked deep into His eyes. I smiled and I cried....

Dance in the Rain

· 15 September 2005 | 127 words

It is raining outside at the moment--a good, steady rain. My classroom windows are open and a cool breeze is gently blowing in with the steady and sure sound of the rain. The color of sky is a cool and...

An Economy of Grace

· 9 September 2005 | 48 words

Just one path of grace: Love brings peace. Peace brings patience and dispels fear; which in turn reinforces hope, deepens faith, and creates a space for forgiveness; thus energizing love to flow to others. May God's love, peace, and energy...

Know

· 19 August 2005 | 34 words

In Your book were written all the days that were formed for me. -- Psalm 139:16 You knew me before I was. You will still know me after I was. You know me now....

A Little Kid’s Book

· 16 August 2005 | 435 words

I recently heard Richard Rohr comment on another person's research into the idea that the story you most remember or most identified with in your early childhood somehow shaped, or at least reflected, your personality. Furthermore, that story could have...

My Enemies

· 7 August 2005 | 311 words

For a long period after getting serious about reading/praying the psalms, I would always pause a bit when they mentioned enemies. As far as I know, I do not have any personal enemies, at least not from my point of...

Have Known You So Late!

· 4 August 2005 | 235 words

Maybe it was because it took me nearly forty years to finally come to faith (I joke that I am a little slow, kind of like the Israelites, because it took us forty years while it only took Jesus forty...

You have been told…

· 20 July 2005 | 93 words

I rediscovered one of my favorite pieces of scripture. It does not necessarily bring peace, but it does re-center me in Christ. And that is what my heart aches for. You have been told, O man, what is good,  ...

Muddy Feet

· 4 July 2005 | 180 words

Whoever flees prayer, flees all that is good! -- St. John of the Cross I know this deep in my heart, but sometimes, it can be so hard. Why? Prayer should be the easiest, most natural thing in the...

Learn to Float

· 23 May 2005 | 733 words

An allegory: Many people never learn to float. They never manage to take the initial risk, to do the opposite of what their instincts tell them. They never learn to relax, to let their head be pillowed by the water,...

What is Real?

· 8 May 2005 | 255 words

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?" The only toy that was kind to the Rabbit was the Skin Horse. The Skin Horse had lived...

Every Day

· 1 May 2005 | 150 words

At the risk of sounding pious, every morning when I first wake up, usually with my eyes still closed, I make a little sign of the cross on my forehead with my thumb and pray, "I'm Yours." It reminds me...

Some Days

· 30 April 2005 | 418 words

From Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs: There's no answer, no problem-solving, simply awareness. You cannot not live in the presence of God. You are totally surrounded by God as you read this. St. Patrick said, God beneath you, God in front of...

Judgement and Mercy

· 21 April 2005 | 636 words

Addendum: I should have titled this post, "Imperfections". (Pun not intended.) I stepped into a chapel on Sunday. On the sloped ceiling above the sanctuary hung a large, round icon of Jesus. The colors were bright and vibrant, painted in a modern...

Lord’s Alphabet

· 31 March 2005 | 169 words

Although things are not perfect Because of trial or pain Continue in thanksgiving Do not begin to blame Even when the times are hard Fierce winds are bound to blow God is forever able Hold on to what you know...

Windshield Wipers

· 29 March 2005 | 194 words

One rainy afternoon, I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick. Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen, spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat....

The Pause

· 27 March 2005 | 287 words

What if St. John was afraid of the Empty Tomb because he realized what that would truly mean? What if in that moment St. John became aware of the reality of the Resurrection? His pause may have been the...

Resurrection

· 27 March 2005 | 190 words

Resurrection--not progress, not evolution, not enlightenment, but a call from heaven to us: "Rise up! You are dead, but I will give you life." That is what is proclaimed here, and it is the only way that the world can...

Redemption

· 26 March 2005 | 59 words

Now it is all over. The work of our Redemption has been accomplished. We are now children of God, because Jesus has died for us and his death has ransomed us. Empti enim estis pretio magno (1 Cor 6:20), you and I...

Receive, Not Take

· 12 March 2005 | 916 words

The following story and commentary by Ronald Rolheiser, in Against an Infinite Horizon, has completely pushed my understanding of sin to new depths, depths that bring tears to my eyes in regards to my own sinful and broken nature. Fr....

How Often Do You Hear “I Love You”?

· 27 December 2004 | 795 words

How often do you hear the words, "I love you"? Be honest. Once a day? Once a week? Once a month? Can't remember the last time? How about the flip side of that question: how often do you say the...

Radiate

· 18 December 2004 | 144 words

You cannot teach faith;     you have to radiate faith. You cannot tell others to hope;     you have to radiate hope. You cannot describe love;     you have to radiate love. You cannot give what you...

Palms of My Hands

· 10 December 2004 | 39 words

Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of My hands I have written your name. -- Isaiah 49:15-16a...

The Light Within Us

· 27 November 2004 | 420 words

Yesterday evening, we were visiting the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. A memory of someone special reminded me to take a picture of this sunset. My dad and his wife came in for Thanksgiving. We always seem to take visitors...

God’s Days

· 14 November 2004 | 236 words

There are two days in the week upon which and about which I never worry--two carefree days kept sacredly free from fear and apprehension. One of these days is Yesterday. Yesterday, with its cares and frets and pains and aches,...

Happiest Man on the Way to Calvary

· 9 April 2004 | 184 words

This line from a meditation called "The Way of the Cross" by Fr. Richard Veras published within the Magnificat jumped out at me as paradoxical: Jesus was the happiest man on the way Calvary that day. But then on second...